Tickets save lives

Weekend law enforcement targets public drunkenness, speeders

Local law enforcement agencies were out putting state and federal grant funds to use over the weekend.

In Encinitas, San Diego Sheriff’s deputies conducted a “zero tolerance drunk in public sweep” using funds from a $100,000 California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control grant awarded last July. The sweep resulted in 28 total arrests, including an undisclosed number for public intoxication plus others for possession of a stolen vehicle and stolen property, marijuana possession, and urinating in public.

Grant monies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration via the California Office of Traffic Safety provided funding for officers involved in the speeding stops, which were described as a “traffic safety enforcement program.”

Police Chief Ed Aceves, “59 speeding tickets equals 59 lives saved.”

I see people speeding EVERY DAY and they don't have accidents or cause deaths. 59 speeding tickets, depending on the speed and court, could be as much as about $25,000 in revenue - and this is about revenue, not safety.